Editing Non-commissioned officer (section)

====U.S. Army NCO Candidate Course====

Beginning in 1967 at Fort Benning, Georgia, the [[US Army]] [[Noncommissioned officer candidate course]] (NCOCC) was a [[Vietnam]]-war era program developed to alleviate shortages of enlisted leaders at squad and platoon level assignments, training enlisted personnel to assume jobs as squad leaders in combat.<ref>Zais, Melvin. "The New NCO", ''Army''. 18 (May 1968): 72–76.</ref>

Based loosely on the [[Officer Candidate School]] (OCS), NCOC was a new concept (at the time) where high performing trainees attending basic infantry combat training were nominated to attend a two-phased course of focused instruction on jungle warfare, and included a hands-on portion of intense training, promotion to sergeant, and then a 12-week assignment leading trainees going through advanced training.<ref>Israr Choudhri, [http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p15040coll2/id/5086/filename/5087.pdf The Noncommissioned Officer Course] (PDF), {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323081514/http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p15040coll2/id/5086/filename/5087.pdf|date=23 March 2021}}</ref>

Regular Army soldiers who had received their promotion through traditional methods (and others) used derisive terms for these draftees (typically)<ref name=Elder>Dan Elder, Shake and Bake: The True Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course, [http://www.ncohistory.com/files/NCOC-long.pdf pgs.7,14–15 PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529103928/http://www.ncohistory.com/files/NCOC-long.pdf |date=29 May 2014 }}</ref> who were promoted quicker, such as "Instant NCOs", "[[Shake and Bake (Army)|Shake 'n' Bake]]", and "Whip n' Chills".<ref>Bud Russell, ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20150321040226/http://ncoclocator.org/PAGE6.HTM A Brief History of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course]''</ref><ref>Jerry Horton, [http://company-c--2nd-bn--506th-inf.com/Shake&Bake.html Shake & Bake NCO's]</ref>

The program proved to be so successful that as the war began to wind down they elected to institutionalize training noncommissioned officers and created the NCO Education System (NCOES), which was based around the NCO candidate course. The NCO candidate course generally ended in 1971–1972.<ref name=Elder />